


Policy of Faith

by Guysajer



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: A few hundred years of the present future, Crime, Drama, F/M, Investigation, Mystery, Not your typical Alternate universe, inquistion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-03-09 09:01:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18913774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Guysajer/pseuds/Guysajer
Summary: A string of murders has been committed and steadily building and confusing local detectives until a most prestigious and holy order sends one of their agents to solve this crime and restore order. However, this crime is not normal, and it's perpetrator is anything but as a powerful force has been unleashed and only she is the only thing stopping it but can she?





	1. Chapter 1

Inside one of the massive western habitation blocks of a compact Capsule city was filled the usual day to day. Tens of thousands of people pushing through the streets working in a tireless cycle of men, women, and children depending on the need to keep this place working.

 

Packed in as close to sardines in a tin can, this industrial center was one of the main hives for people - for those who were looking to work their way up from the low level peasantry and have a chance for their families and future generations to rise up in the ranks.

 

With so many people all struggling to make a better life, there was always crime. Theft, assault, rape, murder, and a laundry list of so many others as so many humans attempted to lift themselves upwards, all striving to best one another in any way possible. There had been something happening that began to draw the attention of those who were beyond police, detectives, and special investigators as death became almost the order of the day.

 

A terrible plague of horrific murders had begun to occur - while not uncommon to have gang wars, crime families, and underground organizations sending hordes of those who were willing to risk life and limb for the prospect of a better life in the high rises, where luxuries of good food, warm beds, and clean clothes were commonplace.

 

As they said they were not out of the ordinary, these new ones had taken on a new level of not only brutality but had gone even further than that. One might question how one could go further… well when it required the intervention of one of the highest orders of imperial law to come personally to the location. 

  
It had become truly serious, as this was the fourth time it had occurred this week, and it was only Tuesday.

 

Several officers were blocking off a building, the bright yellow police tape covering an entire block. They were corralling people away from the scene, and more importantly keeping the nosey media away from the location. They were not welcome. Fear spread more in this habitation center than was already present just by the police being here as it was.

 

Inside the second floor a ten story was the latest batch of victims. On scene were the three local detectives, each one relatively new but capable, working their way up from your basic patrolman to becoming a staple of the local law enforcement.

 

One was wearing a blue blazer, a half lit cigarette in his mouth, with brown shoes kicked back against the wall in the hallway. His shaggy black hair tied back in a  messy ponytail, outside of regulation but there were more pressing concerns than his appearance. As he worked undercover in several stings he bore several scars on his face as part of his  _ ‘cover,’  _ each one a direct testament to how far he was willing to go and prove himself to the lower crime mobs.

 

A second stood inside, his rolled up white sleeved shirt and discarded black blazer hung over a chair as he pulled back one of nearly a dozen white sheets that covered the floor. While the shortest of the three and with a polished bald head, his size was not a joke; he was the rising star, solving a record number of cases a young officer to be pushed into promotion to better allocate his skills and natural abilities. 

  
The third was a just as tall as the first, a matching bald head, but breaking from regulation like the rest he wore a white tank top, with a belt around his khaki pants. In his hands he held a camera that sent digital encrypted pictures back to their lab tech and his personal friend who could start re-creating a digital crime scene in hopes of putting some leads, or hell, even a clue on their plate.

 

From where they stood they were at a loss, but in their focus they missed the newest ‘arrival.’ Someone had decreed that these crimes were going to be stopped before they grew out of control. So with the simplest stroke of a pen they had sent their emissary to investigate, interrogate, solve, and summarily  **deal** with whoever was responsible for this. 

 

Arriving in a stylish black car, marked by a large silver eye surrounded by an iron cross emblazoned on the side of the door, and the stamp of the world’s most devoted order to peace and justice. The Inquisition had arrived. Opening the door, one thin leg stepped outwards, covered in black leather, sharpened heeled shoes clacked against the black asphalt as the rest of a feminine figure pulled herself free from the car. Rising upwards, dressed in tight clad leather, twin belts looped around her waist, one bearing the seal of the Inquisition, the other a setting sun with another eye in the center. 

 

One side was strapped a massive pistol that tied to her leg, the other was a locked book each side locked to her person. Coming upwards, a spotted fur covering, looped with silver chains dangled around her neck line where it plunged just enough to expose the bare hint of her cleavage. Her fur cape only dropped low enough to cover her elbows leaving her face exposed as her hair was tightly wound into a bun. Several silver pins locked into the bun not allowing a hint of movement.

 

Reaching inside of her fur ‘cape’ she withdrew a cell phone. Flipping through the screen she looked to the street corners then to the address labeled on the outside of the building. She made no gesture, nor emotion as she closed her car door, set her phone back inside of her covering and walked forwards. 

  
The few spectators gathered along with those in the media took notice of the figure walking towards them. The hallow clack of her heels the only sound of her arrival to their ears, her face was completely neutral. Not a hint of a smile showed from her face; a look of seriousness showed in her eyes as she strode forwards rhythmically. Her hands were loose along her hips as she kept walking and those who saw her quickly backed out of her way, giving her a wide berth and as the crowd saw the fact that an inquisitor was walking on sight they took a drastic step backwards. 

 

Hushed whispers quickly circulated as they viewed the female inquisitor, others nodding, some turning and walking away from the scene without even another second wasted.

 

_ ‘The Inquisition-! We’re leaving now, I’m not getting anywhere near those crazies.’ _

 

_ ‘If they sent an inquisitor out here this story is way too hot for us. We need to get out of here pronto lest they accuse us of being involved.’ _

 

The crowd’s quick dispersal happened in less than a minute, the woman continuing to walk forwards -  her eyes not even giving the regular officers outside even a courtesy look. Her hand swiped the police tape in front of her in a blink cutting two neat ribbons to the ground as she walked past the stunned officers but one look at her markings, her demeanour, and none of them even stared at her, their heads looked away and towards the ground.

  
They cowered almost in fear until she entered, as the door closed behind her with an erie slow creak of the door hinges. The officers pulled out fresh police tape and covered the entire street with fresh yellow rolls and attached a red patch of new tape to all of the roadways and sidewalks. Hanging down as a warning, bearing the mark of an eye as a clear warning to all that they all knew who was just beyond the walls. Taking up position around the new car as to make sure there was no vandalism while they were inside, God help them should anything happen to the woman’s car while she was dutifully working.

 

The prospect of an interrogation for failure to maintain order was nothing they wanted, and only the most crazed of individuals would ever even  _ consider  _ damaging an inquisitor’s property and only the truly deranged would actually go through with it. Those that did however, they would spend years in the custody of the inquisitor's personal hell, for those that dared to over reach their bounds and push beyond that which did not belong to them suffered. 

 

Her foot steps reached the top of the stairs and the appearance made the first detective’s eyes go as wide as plates. His lower lip dropped, caught completely off guard by this new arrival. A mixture of fear and trepidation kept him locked in place.  _ ‘Th...the… THE INQUISITION!?’  _ His mind completely panicked but he couldn’t move as his body refused to comply. She stopped, her head not even looking at him as she parrelled him. A single hand raised upwards, causing sweat to begin to roll down the detective’s face. Wondering what she was going to do, her hand gripped the cigarette from his mouth and held it in front of her eyes. A scrutinizing look came over it, before looking back at him, “Detective Yamcha, smoking is forbidden at this crime scene. Do you understand?” 

 

He nodded his head, vigorously, “Y-Y-Yes lady inquisitor.” He managed. Gripping the back of the wall to keep himself from shaking too badly as the woman stared at him. Taking a moment more of staring before extinguishing the cigarette on his shirt then without looking he threw it backwards, the small tobacco stub bounced off the wall and landed in a garbage bucket by the hallway entrance.

 

“Good,” then she turned and walked into the scene. Yamcha staggered out of her sight, his stomach and bowels ready to come loose as he found his way to a nearby bathroom.

 

With her attention directed now towards the scene in front of her. She reached down to the book attached to her hip and unlocked it bringing it upwards and towards one of the small spaces inside the room. She unlocked a claspe holding the book together revealing that it was not a simple piece of paper. Inside opened up revealing a her personal contents for conducting this investigation. A large flat screen that appeared transparent, a screen attached to a bracer, several rolled up pieces of parchment - each one with an ornate red strap dictating the imperial seal on them.

 

Thirdly a pair of thin wire glasses which she brought and placed on her face then attaching the bracer to one of her wrists. All in a fluid motion, touching her glasses, a small flash appearing over them. Small numbers and readings displayed to her eyes in real time. 

 

Punching something onto the black screen on her wrist it turned on, a small timer beginning to count upwards. “Inquisitor ID 09-2-13, Heretical investigator Chi-Chi log. Arrival and first accounts.” She started speaking still ignoring the other two men who quickly took the hint and left before she had turned back around. 

 

“Scene analysis, high violence area, lower poverty line for Western Habitation blocks. Normal possibilities already seen as limited. First observation:” She cleared her throat, “Contamination possible, already corrected an error by local law enforcement, punishment not required as of first offense, please log for future infractions by use of personal contaminants by Detective Yamcha, second class officer of Police unit as shown as one of several acting detectives for the case. On scene unknown contaminants are Detective Tien, and Detective Krillin, both lower officers were seen examining crime scene, lack of complete photographs will be obtained post initial investigation from police bureau.” Walking around Chi-Chi tapped her glasses and placed the transparent screen which held a vertical position and stuck to a wall without any sort of visible adhesive or devices. Several multi angle shots came through, her direct vision appeared on her right eye, a second from the flat screen that projected a secondary angle, and a third which viewed the ground from her bracer in another layer of unique angles that she could view. 

 

Coming to the first of nearly twenty separate white sheets that covered the floor, the blood having long since stained parts into a red and light pink all over. The chalk outline created a messy path all around the floor. 

 

“First impressions…” Chi-Chi muttered, lifting up the sheet. Her eyes greeted by… “Young male, approximately mid twenties, face contorted and frozen in a look of apparent shock and pain, appears to have suffered heavy lacerations to stomach, arms, and legs. However, based on indentations and blood loss these wounds were not inflicted upon death or were the cause of death….” Her voice trailed off as she brought her hand to touch visible hand marks on the first victim’s throat.”

 

Trailing her hand over it, she could see the heavy indentations, “Incredible force, but this damage was caused by raw power… perhaps an augmented hand, but the contours do not show mechanical links or marks that leave behind some kind of metallic residue or cuts as the metal would not be completely smooth.”  

  
She then diverted her eyes to the rest of the gorey details but her eyes barely even flinched at the injuries. “Post mortem, subject appears to have been mauled by a large beast. Maybe a modified dog, pig, or some type of bear… though the imprints do not appear to be deep, mouth grooves and the shape of the molars are definitely human… perhaps.” She thought about before having only a few logical answers. “Cannibalism, these were fed off of, maybe a ritual? Possibility, will have to view the other corpses to gain a proper answer to posed question and hypothesis as to reason for attacks.” She then placed one good finger atop the scanner on her wrist, the small screen rolling lines up and over the digit. 

  
It took over a minute, but she then dropped the hand back down standing back up… “Criminal, marked lower henchman for the blue gang, crimes sentenced, theft, intimidation, assault, felonious assault, robbery, and suspected in several kidnappings and rapes… fucking heretic.” She said her voice showing a level of true disdain. “I should advise whoever killed you get a less painful death for you did not deserve to be killed like a rodent but in the cold cell of the Inquisition like all scared, and begging for our mercy.”

 

With one down she moved to the second body. “Similar exterior appearance, visible marks made by bites and clawed hands. But… this one appears more bloated, more thick with fat and appears to have been less bitten and more eaten. Addition to belief that is now a primary hypothesis, this is indeed cannibalism, though cause and correlation are not currently known. Middle aged male, roughly two hundred and eighty pounds… clearly not eating their standard protein rations.” Chi-Chi clipped another one of this victim’s fingers onto her scanner and found another striking comparison. “Criminal as well, sexual assault, child pornography, and child abduction for pedopheliac fetishes. Another death that was far to quick for what you deserved.” 

 

Standing outside of the door just off frame, their eyes glued to the scene, one of the horrific mass murder and the other of the female inquisitor and how methodically she checked body after body, documenting and testing each and every single one. 

 

“When did they decide to send the fucking Inquisition here?” Krillin hissed to Yamcha in a low whisper, “She could have us fucking killed for failing to do our duty as detectives, or even our friends and family!” His thoughts were already causing him to be filled with dread, but the truth of his words was making his very blood run cold… not that he really had a family but there were people that were as close to him as family and their blood could run red in the streets, if, for any reason this inquisitor deemed it necessary and the only way to supersede her authority was by an imperial lord of a greater rank than she.

 

“Damnit man I didn’t know, I figure we just had ourselves a good ol’ crazy, while the body count is way high this isn’t that much different than the few other occasional homicides we’ve seen over the past few years. People chewed up, some fully eaten, others strung all over the place like decor. I mean it has to be some type of group or hell a cult.”

 

Tien wiped the sweat on his forehead and neck with his tie, he was just as nervous as those around him, “For our sakes I hope it’s not a cult. That could mean that we didn’t see the warning signs and report this up the chain of command sooner. Even if the request was put in almost a month ago, that still leaves us on the hook for not catching those clues.”

 

All three observed the woman working, aside from her talking and the heavy clack of her heels she made not a sound edgewise. No sniffs, coughs, or even a sigh. It was like she was practically a machine, but they all knew that inquisitors were flesh and blood, for the most part. Yet most people knew that there was no way that the agents of this investigative order could be considered completely human. The rumors of their almost superhuman feats and levels of intelligence gave them an almost fantasy level of power.

 

Of course, all of the rumors about them were a far cry from what they could literally do with their word and a stroke of a pen, or in this case, one giant volleyball sized hole to the chest or head with the pistol she had on her hip. There was no judge or jury when it came to the upper echelons.

 

“Oh man I just hope she doesn’t kill us… but what do we do? If we run she’d shoot us, if we stay she could also shoot us.” Krillin bit on his nails which were in his mouth as he could just imagine them trying to slip out only to have a large rocket pistol blowing apart their innards into a fine red pulp.

 

Yamcha who already felt that small burn on his shirt and with the marks to prove it, “She could just snap her fingers and send us down into the torture chambers in order to purify us for our failures…” He was already sweating bullets, but the prospect of having that be his fate, a cold dark cell his only friend and the generous torturers who would give him peace by teaching him of his failings until they either grew bored or finally put a bullet to the back of his skull.

 

“I just can’t imagine why the chief didn’t tell us that there was even the remote hint that this case was leading to their involvement.” Tien added not once catching any sort of inkling that this was even a blip on their radar. Had it even been suggested he would’ve been handling everything far differently to make sure their asses were covered.

 

“Do you really expect Chief Roshi to know what the hell he’s doing nowadays. He’s busy ogling his secretary Launch, what the hell do you think he has time for as he just sits back on his lazy ass and collects a paycheck while  _ we  _ bust our asses for him!” Krillin’s fear shifting towards anger towards their boss. The old codger was once a legend but for the past couple of years it appeared his mind was slipping away from the reality of the situation.

  
Though so long as he held connections with the elite and nobility who elected who would be chief there would be no changing of the guard. Certainly not without the help of someone higher up, though, someone like an inquisitor could easily send him off…

 

But that was cruel and he didn’t want to see that fate, hell he wouldn’t wish that on anyone save the worst of their city, mostly the sonofabitch who was carving people up and eating them. There were far too many cases that had been piling up on their desks, now that some of them appeared to be linked. 

 

They had just tried to pass it off earlier those years as just random acts of cannibalism, it was certainly rare, but there were people who were often very desperate. Poverty had always taken its toll in the lower parts of the working class and when one had to survive, people often came up missing. Though nothing was ever found of them like this.

  
Krillin couldn’t tell anyone with a straight face that some of the regular people had never sampled some civilized pork for their family at least once. Though this paled in the recent cases, as the bodies were left strewn about, as if hawked apart by some rabid beast, some truly depraved soul or cult that took the eating of people to a whole new degree.

 

The men’s rapidly beating hearts stopped as Chi-Chi righted herself and turned back towards them. Her eyes narrowed as she had not mistaken what had just come through her thoughts. “How many cases are left like this?” The men almost jumped as she spoke with a cold icy tone.

 

“Wha- Ma--- I mean inquisitor I don’t understand.” Krillin fumbled as the black leather clad woman walked over to him, Yamcha and Tien took a step back as the woman seemed to grow in size and towered over the smaller detective. “C-C-Cases, I-I-I”

 

“Grow a spine, you just thought of those cases. I have the past few months of logged reports. I want to know how long this has been documented and I need to know now!” Her voice almost painful, the man’s  knees were about ready to buckle and he couldn’t stop the shaking that now resonated up from his legs. “I read your mind, I am a  _ psyker  _ like all inquisitors. Now speak!”

 

He took a step back but yet she only seemed to grow larger in size, “J-Just that years prior we-we had other documented events… one person or two, but it was sporadic, there-there just wasn’t any evidence at the scene and… and we were told to bury it years ago. It was the ten year anniversary of the Rush Tower bombings, there wasn’t any time to focus on one cannibal murder when someone threatens to blow that building up.”

 

Chi-Chi’s eyes relaxed slightly,  _ So, this should’ve been solved but was of course pushed aside by some low level fucking governor and buearcrat. So now I have to waste my precious time dealing with this pointless serial killer who apparently has grown a small cult and crazed followers who are now eating people.  _ “I want all of those files.” Righting herself, her hardened gaze shifting back towards the bald detective who was still trembling. Her lip twitched slightly, “NOW!”

 

Her bark sent Krillin into a full panic as he rushed down the hallway nearly falling flat on his face as he nearly tripped over himself. “You two,” she turned back around towards the crime scene, “Have this place processed, I want all current associates, video logs of the last two weeks of this area and all known contacts processed and placed at my station in the next forty eight hours.” 

  
“Station? Miss Inquisitor… what station?” Tien asked, they couldn’t just drop papers off anywhere and contacting anyone like her was well above their station and pay grade. 

 

“The one in your precinct, I have a small office set up to deal with this nonsense.” 

 

That floored both of them, and their thoughts were answered by her. “I am staying around for awhile, and keep whatever ideas you have about us and believe every single one of them. The Inquisition does not tolerate this type of behavior, and since it has grown in its severity due to someone placing a higher priority case over these matters years ago it is now falling to me to clean up this mess. So… please keep your asses clean, your hair trimmed, and your smell to a minimum, I  _ detest  _ uncleanliness and I’ve sent men to their deaths for even less than that.”

 

Her mind had quickly picked up the frantic thoughts of both Yamcha and Tien, their fears coming to the forefront quickly, and while it might be intrusive to read someone's thoughts in the eyes of the public, there were those that were far smarter than the gullible masses who believed in such naive ideals. This world was full of hate, corruption, evil, and heresy and it was the honest pure souls like her who were the ones who were required to deal with it.

 

[***]

 

Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha were sprawled out in their small office. Their heads buried behind rows of paperwork stacked up to a adult man’s neck on their desk. A collective group effort had been undertaken ever since the arrival of their friendly neighborhood inquisitor and it had left very little for them to be dabbling in anything but this case. So as an unexpected ‘ _ bonus’  _ they spent the entire last night working their asses off until collapsing at around the same time, roughly eight thirty in the morning. It had been brutal to say the least, digging over files related and not related to the once dubbed ‘maneater murders.’ Their jobs, families, and lives were all on the line and there was not enough time in the day to squander on anything but what they had been asked to do.

  
Yet there were limits, human limits.

 

As they drooled onto their arms, desks, and paperwork the door to their office opened up startling all three back to into a panicked jerk.

 

“Were working ma’am!” Yamcha scrawled out, his voice just as fearful as if she were still looking at him with that burning cigarette.

  
“Calm down guys, just me.” It was their lead tech guy, Chaotzu, and adoptive brother of Tien. The smaller man had been looking over all of their pictures and collected evidence as fast as he could. Though with the exception he could rest while his computers did all of the work.

 

All three of them fell back down against their desks, “God damn… this is horrible.” Krillin muttered rubbing his eyes as he looked over to the clock to see that they had probably passed out for an hour, maybe two. Yet they had some aid as Chaotzu handed them all an extra large Capsule Corp coffee. The universal company made everything from food, to clothes, to cars, to buildings, and even inquisitors… It ruled the daily life of this planet and most cities with its huge economic overreach that the government couldn’t clamp down on… As the Inquisition liked Capsule Corporation as it was, and so it would stay.

 

“Each man grasped their cup and took a quick swill, hoping the caffeine would be enough to just bump them over this last hurdle.

 

The smaller detective looked at all of the papers piled up in awe, “Wow, you guys really did hit it hard last night. Did you find anything out that was substantial?” His smaller features looked to Tien who, slowly shook his head.

 

“There’s not much, other than the same MO, no witnesses that have any sort of proper description, nothing that can really help us solve this and get back to normal.” They had dug through archives, statements mostly for naught. If there had been some expectation of finding a smoking gun, or in this case one hungry man eater... sadly there wasn’t anything. 

 

“Did yah guys learn anything?” Yamcha sighed putting his face in his hands for a moment. “No, whoever this is, they don’t leave much behind other than the injuries. Sure there were old descriptions from years past about some man with pitch black hair and coal black eyes. But beyond him being there one second and gone the next and no video evidence to corroborate their stories we’re left with very little to go off of.” His voice trailed into a disparaged tone, “Also the few people who might know something won’t come forward now. He’s killed so many people and the bloody Inquisition is here! There won’t be a single person ready to step up and say that they know anything. We’re pretty much sunk.” His head just laid back down on his desk, he felt ready to just tap out.

 

Tien felt the same but didn’t show it, “How about you Chaotzu, I hope you came here with some good news or at least… not bad news.” His words ending in an off putting and dreary laugh.

 

 Sadly he didn’t have either, “Well the results should be just about ready in a few hours, but I’m not really sure what else I can do. I mean I can see the basic outline of his attack, but how he pulls it off - it’s not natural and I can’t pick apart any of the crime scenes that would tell us that this is a group, gang, or some cult.”

 

Pushing aside one stack, Krillin wrapped both his hands around his coffee and stared down at it. “I don’t think it’s any of those… at least that’s what I believe, there’s no way a group could be that clean, that down to the wire perfect to pull off so many mass killings without a word edgewise and with how armed some of these people are it’d have to be a string of miracles to just think that people getting into a melee fight would be that lucky so many times.” Looking down into his reflection of the brown liquid, the illumination of his office lights creating the image of himself. “It has to be one person, there just can’t be masses of people fleeing these locations or hiding out during all of this. I mean what do you guys think?”

 

“I agree.” Tien stated taking a full swill of his coffee. “But what we’re looking for is a freaking giant of a man, we’re talking nine plus feet tall, with a grip to break bones and tear people in half. Hell the guy would have to weigh almost a metric ton… and no one has seen him? I mean that’s insane too.”

 

Yamcha just covered his head, “We’re screwed.” His muffled voice filtering up through all of the papers. “We’ve got a huge freaking guy theory and a cult of super sleuths theory. Which one is going to impress the friggin order who sees all?”

 

Though as he spoke of the devil, she was making her way inside of the police station, greeted by a cheery blue haired woman. Master Roshi’s personal secretary spoke up, “Hello Miss, welcome to the local police station how may I best assist you?” Her cheery disposition would’ve been nice to hear, to see a friendly smile of a gentle woman. But…

 

“I am not a Miss, do you not recognize the seal of the Inquisition?” Chi-Chi said, almost insulted by the prospect of being called Miss. She was not a Miss, not even close.

 

The blue haired secretary blinked, certainly not expecting that response. The dread and intimidation that one would normally feel didn’t affect her like a regular person. “Oh, I’m sorry, well Miss Inquisitor how will I be able to direct in assisting you?” 

 

The few others in the front desk area and the people who had come in to file complaints or document an incident all suddenly lost their voices and became very quiet. The threat of a brutal execution appeared to be on the table, or a swift smack across the face. 

 

“What is your name?” Chi-Chi said, her voice gaining some level of curiosity. 

  
“Oh, well I’m Launch. I just got this job a few months ago.” She said with almost a giddy laugh.

 

Scrutinizing her face, the leather clad woman studied this unique situation. “You have never dealt or heard much about my order. Is that why you’re so…” The world failed to describe her, this strange blue haired woman seemed unaffected. As impossible as it seemed, in Chi-Chi’s mind she felt this might be the actual case.

 

“Oh, I know what you are I just don’t think I should treat you any differently than anyone else!” She twittered happily back to Chi-Chi who waited for several moments mulling over her words.

 

Then, Chi-Chi let out an amused snicker, “You know what… I like you Launch. You may call me Chi-Chi.” She offered her gloved hand to the secretary who took it. 

  
Everyone in the entire office breathed a huge sigh of relief as they weren’t going to be coated in blood thanks to the seemingly naive woman’s words.

 

Then before the shock had worn off from one surprise the second one happened. “Well it’s different to meet someone like yourself.” Offering her leather gloved hand to the blue haired woman. “I am inquisitor Chi-Chi.” 

  
“Ah, welcome Chi-Chi. I’m the personal secretary Launch.” She smiled and took Chi-Chi’s hand shaking it mildly.

 

As Launch unabashedly shook the hand of the inquisitor a small crash could be heard from the main office of the division’s chief. Surrying out from the office was a haggard looking older man, his beard out of regulation and wearing thick sunglasses to obviously hide his hangover and whatever color his eyes were were shrouded behind overly thick shades. 

 

As he made his way around a set of strategically convenient tables and chairs that blocked his office from direct sight his orange uniform, a far outdated…  _ no that’s just a Hawaiian shirt.  _ The inquisitor noted as the old man trundled his way forward. 

 

“So, the venerable Chief Roshi. How nice of you to greet me, I do hope I haven’t disturbed your day to day activities?” Chi-Chi said snidely, she had no real relationship with him. Her father however… well she didn’t get to always pick and choose who her dad had made business relationships with. 

 

“Ehh, well, I suppose it’s no big deal.” The old man said scratching his head. Finding the haunting glare of an inquisitor to be the first thing to properly greet him, aside from his secretary of which he had yet to properly ogle and make stupidly inappropriate jokes in order to get her to laugh and jiggle in that extra tight uniform that exposed such a nice bust line or stand up with that mini skirt that was just short enough to where he could see those panties… 

 

“ROSHI!” The voice snapping him back to the present as he looked into the very angry glare of a female inquisitor which made him pale ever so slightly. “Good, now that I have you and your lecherous attention.” She was well aware of the numerous sexual complaints against him; the only reason he maintained his job was the pull he had with higher ups. Reputation be damned, this hierarchy was built around connections.

 

Chi-Chi glared at him, one hand idly flipping the strap that held her regulation bolt pistol strapped to her hip. Capable of turning a normal human into a donut or a thin red paste based on her mood, she just glowered at him menacingly until the secretary jumped in.

 

“Oh, Chief Roshi this is inquisitor Chi-Chi. She’s come to inspect her office and begin working on our  _ big  _ case!” Gesturing to the more than intimidating woman without missing any of her happy perky nature.

 

The old man blinked, and he looked at her.  _ Chi-Chi…  _ “No, my goodness. Ox sent me his little girl? Hehehe, that old pal really knows how to give someone a hand, why I remember when I first saw you when you were just a little four year old. My you’ve grown since then!” The reverie of the moment coming full circle as he reached out to touch her. 

 

He was flipped upside down and then drilled into the floor with sharpened heels currently digging into his back along with an incredibly burning pain as if he had been smacked across the face first. 

 

“Oh my!” Launch said covering her face, stunned by the swift reaction.

 

Chi-Chi ground her heel into the old man’s back just to emphasize her situation even more to him, as if it wasn’t already obvious. “Listen here, you old slime ball. I know  **_exactly_ ** who the hell you are and don’t think for even a single second that I will allow you to escape the all seeing and all knowing order that I belong to.” She brought her other foot and touched his head to the cold floor. “Do not, ever, touch me you disgusting pig, I don’t care if my father vouches for you. I will be more than happy to blow your brains out or crush it beneath my heels.” She ground her foot down just a bit more. “Got it?”

 

“Y-Yes… I-I’m s-sorry!” He whimpered beneath her foot. 

 

“Hnn” Chi-Chi then proceeded to step over him and walk forwards overtop of him.

 

Launch came around and picked up her Chief who seemed in a daze. His head rolled back as she picked him up and slumped forwards, the naive woman missing the pervert’s face having itself landed right into her cleavage.

 

_ Worth it. _

 

As Chi-Chi walked around, finding every single officer and staff member working inside to quickly pull an about face or find the floor interesting as she passed. An entire section that housed roughly five detectives had been relocated without a word of complaint as the large cross and lidless eye marking was placed overtop the door frame. A red velvet drape was hung on either side and dipped low enough to just touch the top of the frame.

 

She twisted the ornate skull door knob and walked inside without a problem. Her focus,having been distracted by the two figures of this police section, was back to business. Pulling back a large leather chair she slipped behind her oakwood desk, her papers, notes, and phone arranged as per her specifications. Collecting her paperwork in front of her within its manilla folder she pulled out the long list of documented victims that she was aware of from the previous months. Chi-Chi unclicked her book that was attached to her, pulling free her recording device from its contents as she began to narrate her current situation and findings as she reviewed over the compiled lists.

  
“All of the killings are running on a clock, every four to five days we have another mass incident in a random section of this habitation block but… the deceased are mostly housing the obvious crime-ridden sections. No doubt this is part of the Ginyu Turf and Red Ribbon crime organization having some turf wars is a possibility, but as previously stated injuries sustained are not common with any known gang fighting. But neither is there any cult that is documented within this area having to begun mass cannibalism despite the food shortages the number of human abductions are the same.” Looking at one of the monitors on the desk Chi-Chi flicked down through a digital list of names. “Prior records indicate almost all of those killed are known criminals and members of the underground society. Though I would personally admonish a medal to the person culling this chaff, they are not sanctioned… however, this could mean some sort of ex-vigilante force could be operating. Possible former military, law enforcement with augmentations.”

 

She clicked on one of the previous crime scene photographs taken by the four-man task force that had been assigned to begin working on this case immediately. “Hmmm a night club… The purple parlor, one of the obvious crime families will have a tough time explaining this loss. Considering they were all killed and eaten.” She remarked with an amused grin. Whatever had come, be it a group or some solo individual, it had been chaos. The entire building had been crushed, by something falling on it several times. “The indentations in the roof suggest a heavy weight in excess of ten tons of force was exuded on the steel supports nearly buckling it. The act shattering the electrical grid for the building and plunging everyone into darkness until he smashed through the glass ceiling. It left all of those inside completely in the dark. All of those dirty little heretics stuck in a cage of their own making. It’s almost poetic.”

 

The carnage that ensued, with sixty eight dead and several missing as data recovered from the recordings showed all of those present before, and what was left after. Several pieces from those missing were found later on in the following weeks, though nothing substantial to prove their deaths… “Which makes me wonder… if this was a cult why all the fanfare, each murder has become more grandiose and nothing showing any hint of some psychopath who would rather paint the walls red.”

  
She mused hard trying to picture it…

 

An explosion of glass and metal came as the entire roof was caved in, panicked shrieks came from the women in attendance who were there as eye candy, but mostly for their escort services. The amounts of money spent on a lavish party would be more than an entire lower class family would see in a lifetime. It was already known that there was a psycho killer and that he had been hunting in these areas. The resulting chaos and confusion had created pure pandemonium.

 

The sound of gunfire had erupted quickly, with shots being thrown in the vague direction of other muzzle flashes. Some had attempted to flee only to find the doors locked tightly and refused to budge open. The fighting had been sporadic as people were flung all around - others crushed and shattered like they were made of timber, while others had been bitten while trying to run. 

 

In total it took maybe three minutes for everything to start and end. The bullets had hit nothing but the walls and other occupants. Their attacker(s) were never hit and even if they were, they hadn’t left a trace.

 

“Could be supernatural. Perhaps some type of vengeful ghost or aberration getting vengeance.” She said before finding it within herself to actually laugh, she shook her head. “Only the mind of the simple and weak would ever believe such a story.” 

 

As Chi-Chi began to slowly piece together all of the scenes together her mind left with a slight tingle picking up on the thoughts and voices of so many people around her. Her psychic abilities were however… not natural. A very, painful gift it had been.

 

Her mind was able to read the thoughts of those around her when she wanted, but with so many minds now softly tapping on the barriers she had to pay them some attention, like one would an irritating itch or that uncomfortable pressure with one’s clothes.

 

She also had to see if anymore information had been gathered, a possible link between all of the prior cases of cannibalistic murder that had been going on without her orders knowing before it had blown up in all of their faces. Granted a terrorist threat to kill hundreds had been the obvious call for priority over a single deranged serial killer, but in hindsight it had been the wrong one.

 

The office to the four detectives who were still drowsy as hell were at least functioning. Their conversations having dropped off to the occasional, read this, or check that as they worked through mountain loads of records.

 

Releasing a yawn Krillin kicked back in his chair as he released a stretch simultaneously. Yamcha was scribbling out something on a post-it note, and Tien was biting into a cold bagel while reading over a preliminary statement.

 

The door was thrown open, the handle racking against the frame. Krillin toppled over into a heap, Yamcha smeared a large black line through his report and Tien began to choke on his food as a black leather clad figure stood in their doorway.

 

“Report.” Her demanding tone making Krillin scramble back upright as Tien pounded on his chest attempting to get the old bagel down his windpipe while Yamcha just lowered his head ready to accept his fate.

 

“Inquisitor… Well we-we-we have been looking through the documents, but- it’s, there’s so much- There’s-!” A single finger raised upwards from the woman standing in front of him silenced his babbling.

 

Walking forwards with her hands resting at her sides, though one of her thumbs idly flicked the handle of her large pistol. “I asked for a report, I did not ask for an excuse. Now before I am insulted again, please report what I have requested.”

 

Krillin caught himself before he embarrassed himself further and possibly… lost his head. “Inquisitor, there isn’t very much to go off of…” Her eyes narrowed, “But, we have noticed a trend that has occured over the past few years that is telling.”

 

Silence came next, as Chi-Chi’s neutral face made no real indication and Yamcha and Tien both watched that same muted silence as the scene unfolded in front of them. 

 

“Continue then…” Pulling her hand back from her waist, Chi-Chi crossed both of her hands over her chest and then with her rear foot without even looking kicked a standard office chair back so that she might sit herself comfortably all in a single fluid motion. 

 

Swallowing, Krillin continued, “Back almost sixteen plus years ago there was a similar string of unsolved cannibal cases that match a similar method of operation like what we're seeing right now, but they weren’t anything like the current cases. It was a person here or there every week or so, but similar bite marks just smaller, almost if the person committing these acts were a child and grew up to be much larger…” 

 

_ A child, that spent years eating people?  _ “So for at least sixteen years this things has been eating people, assuming that were going off the idea that a single individual is responsible.”

 

Krillin shook his head, “No ma-- I mean inquisitor. It stopped for a period of nearly six years, it started in year 41948 and ended in 41954, then until 41960 did everything start up again. During that time the current task force assigned to this was disbanded as the crimes had ceased and reassigned…”

 

“Typical politicians, never fixing a problem, just bury your head in the sand until you can’t shit or see anything.” She growled cracking her knuckles in her hand, irritated at the way serious issues were just swept up under the rug and then forgotten. Problems didn’t simply stop because you stopped talking about them, they only came back bigger, and bigger, until they blow up in your face like this. “Is that all you have detective  _ Krillin?”  _ Emphasising his name and only further causing the sleep-deprived man more fear. 

 

“Weh-well. We thought something interesting happened a few months prior to the beginning of these killings… If you recall there was a night when the sky caught fire and we had that massive explosion… well I think that there might’ve been some kind of sign or hint that this was coming or perhaps beginning because not long after people started disappearing along with high numbers of plants, animals, and borderline anything edible until it settled on people.”

 

“Considering I was merely a babe in my father’s tutelage to become what you see before you... How about you start from the beginning and please…” Leaning forward to rest her head on her interlaced fingers under her chin, “Be thorough.”


	2. Night Haunter

The night the sky caught fire, it wasn’t a celebrated event. No, it served as an omen of bad things to come, but the people of the west capsule habitation block did not attempt to think too hard or to fast. The details of the event are sparse as it was hastily covered up. No city official or leader ever wanted to admit that a building had exploded killing thousands as a result of an freak accident where a meteor of sorts slammed into the place. 

 

That wouldn’t simply do as Krillin thumbed the few remaining non-doctored or covered up records of the incident in his hands, explaining what little that they as police officers knew. It required someone higher than even Chi-Chi’s position and perhaps even higher to get the real truth about what had happened. But the story the people had been told was a plane had hit the building after catching fire. Of course a single plane hitting a building even at incredible speed was not capable of cutting a full industrial habitation building in half. 

 

A two hundred square foot steel, concrete, and robust building standing nearly fifteen stories was just shattered, and crumbled to dust and debris. It had been almost sliced in half as the top half had fallen like a tree as it slipped off its foundation and crashed into the ground into smaller businesses killing maybe a couple dozen more.

 

But those voices that tried to dissent and oh so wrongly accuse of a cover up, quickly found themselves with a neatly drilled hole in the back of their head or six or seven stab wounds from them jumping on a knife repeatedly. Strange occurrences all around, but the “Truth” as it was, was a plane, not a meteor as most people who had a functioning brain knew what it was but since the event had taken place over a decade ago people stopped caring or thinking about it. The place was paved over and a monument had been erected in its place commemorating the loss of so many innocent lives. Of course, there was no mention of the lives on the plane that had mysteriously crashed or its pilot.

 

“That I’m aware of, explain to me how this is related.” Chi-Chi responded to Krillin as he was giving her some type of dissertation on the event not its correlation which was the whole reason she was actually sitting here. The after, that’s what she wanted to know…

 

Tugging at the collar of his shirt, he felt whatever ebs of exhaustion he once had as he stared into the face of their new inquisitor. Her face unmoving, eyes focused showing not a hint of fatigue and her frame not a single hair out of place. Everything about this woman screamed authority, unflinching in the face of what was presented in front of her. It was both admirable and terrifying, as she didn’t seem to be human like them. Though like most people, they knew that those of this order weren’t human - well they were but not really. It was complex but nothing he could explain away. 

  
Inquisitors were human, but also not - a science that was beyond most normal people’s understanding. It also helped their already intimidating history and perception.

 

Krillin handed her his earliest collected documents so that she might look them over.

 

Chi-Chi’s eyes quickly began running through the words in this initial report…

_ (Years ago) _

 

The memorial that had been placed at the sight of the ‘plane crash’ had been vandalized. Someone had apparently dug a hole up from right in the middle of the large stone memorial. It was quite a terrible sight, but no one had heard or seen anything. The cameras that had been watching the area hadn’t documented any traffic near the vandalized location..

  
But that only made it more strange, as the hole hadn’t been dug from the surface downwards. No something had dug itself up, through layers of concrete, steel, and who knew what else. Someone had just covered it up, literally and figuratively. 

 

Though just that night, the first cases of a cannibal murder began to raise their head….

 

_ Over fifteen years ago- _

 

A local pimp and his young prostitute were in one of many secluded alleyways, the dimly lit figure showing as one man counted the small rolls of bills that his clients had paid him. Ever the  _ chivalrous  _ man that he was, electing to take her to a local clinic to make sure none of his property had been damaged during her working hours.

 

Though it was silent, the figure no bigger than a toddler made his way down the walls, a long brown tail swaying behind him as his strength and coordination were far more than any small babe should even fantasize about having. But there was nothing on his mind except one single thing.

 

Like a cat stalking its prey he moved from the side of the building going lower and lower, black eyes straining, trembling like his entire body.

 

The first thing the man felt was the drip of water, though the nighttime air did not smell of rain or humidity. Several drops splashed onto his wrist and shoulder, but he ignored it. He pocketed his money as a small line of water slid down his shoulder. “What the hell…” He muttered moving to wipe away the liquid only to find it slimey and having a white texture mixed into it.

 

He turned his head upwards to look, and there he saw it: a row of glistening white teeth and starving eyes. The poor woman just off to the side was unaware until it was already too late. The frenzied cry of a wild beast came as the small figure jumped onto the man’s face, hands clawing at him.

 

He attempted to throw whatever was on him away, as he assumed it some kind of wild beast. He missed the coiling around his neck. Grabbing it by the sides he threw the creature only to be jerked hard by the neck at an odd angle. His entire body flipped upwards and snapped downwards, landing with a heavy *crack* onto the alleyway floor. In a span of time it took the woman to see what was happening and scream her poor pimp was already dead, his entire neck twisted up awkwardly away from his body.

 

She had attempted to run, but the creature lunged for her as well. She shielded her face but the sharp teeth ripped into her neck with a ferocity and tore her flesh open rendering her silent and dead soon after as she hit the ground in a heap.

 

Panting like a dog, the small creature moved back towards the first man he had killed, his tongue salivating as he reared back and bit into the man - finding only the polyester denim and cotton not to his liking he spat out the clothing before digging back in.

 

He hadn’t eaten in so long and he wanted to eat. He  _ NEEDED  _ to EAT! Ripping into the man just enough until he found the taste displeasing as he made his way to the man’s intestines. Spitting out the waste his eyes turned back to the small prey he had killed earlier and dragged her body into the alleyway so that he might continue feeding.

 

As he dug into her body, grains of concrete and the metal cut along his fingers. They were deeply worn, almost bleeding as the skin had been cut and ripped as this child had clawed his way up from the ground.

 

It was a journey that had taken weeks after landing in a heap kilometers below the crust and into the mantle; this small figure had broken his way through his protective capsule and began the winding trail through the surface of the planet. 

  
Left with nothing but a craving stomach his mind was driven to nothing but pure instinct and survival as he leapt at the first sign of easy prey. His mouth hauled up chunks of human flesh in his jaws and swallowed it with eagerness as he attempted to quell his starving body…

 

Until he ate himself too rapidly and began to vomit, his strained form expelling huge chunks of the food he just eaten back up. 

 

His face collapsed back onto the body, a mixture of blood, spittle, and puke covering his face. He did not know where he was, who he was, or even  _ what  _ he was. 

  
Unable to stomach much more, the child ripped an entire leg off in his mouth and carted it back up the tall building where he so recently came.

 

There, a trail of bloody handprints missed by those who had investigated the scene the following day as he slept. Curled against a heating unit, his tail wrapped around his freezing body as he struggled to just make it that few more moments in this rough start to his life. Would they have found him, who would’ve known what could’ve been done to fix this problem before it had devolved.

 

For several straight days he slept warmed only by the metal exuding the heat over his black spiky hair. He rose only to nibble at the leg clutched in his jaw and sleep again.

 

It was there after he had recovered did this new life begin to stir with a level of actual consciousness. Hidden by the cool night air, the small boy jumped on the ledge in a squat with his tail now upright. A quizzical expression on his pressed lips as he brought one finger up to them. 

 

Only one thing was on his mind, and that was  _ food.  _

 

So began his hunts, taking more care as he surveyed the large walking pork racks below him - learning from them and watching how they interacted, going for whatever easy and weak game was available. Spying the occasional, bird, rat, mouse, cat, dog, and whatever else crossed his path only fed his ravenous hunger. But they did little to him as he wanted to actually  _ eat,  _ not snack. 

 

Following one particularly pudgy blob, his smooth bald head and overly gaudy exterior lost on his mind. Crawling along the roof and ceiling, his small fingers found a grip in the smooth grooves and crevices as he climbed all around. 

 

Instincts under control, he followed along the shadows of the room as the dull chandeliers hung low enough to mask his stealthy approach. After all, who would be looking up for an attack inside a building? He wasn't so quick to just leap out from his vantage point. The small child just kept quiet - wanting to wait for the right opportunity to strike.

 

The large man plopped himself down in a large chair and desk with an assortment of notes, money, and pictures surrounding him. “Another day of dealing with these drool peasants.” His voice lamented as he pulled open a drawer from his desk and set out a large bowl of random treats for himself to enjoy. 

 

Thumbing through a handful of papers in one hand, the other grabbed the small bowl and plucked one of his delicate chocolates, flipping them into his mouth as read over the lists of small complaints and problems that they were causing in the factories. “Such useless windbags, unable to handle a simple ten hour shift. Demanding that I waste more money on things that are unnecessary. The facility has been operational for fifteen years, there are no updates for the fire marshall, and none of my personal contractors have noted any of these so-called cracks or deficiencies in the foundation. The nerve of these low class…” He mumbled thumbing another piece of chocolate past his swollen lips.

  
A slight scratch against the walls behind him caused his head to turn around, but as he looked where the sound came from he saw nothing. “I’ll have to have this place checked for rodents.” He sighed with disinterest. As he remained seated, the phone on his desk rang. Grabbing the receiver he picked it up.

 

“Yes, this is regent Pilos…” 

 

The child behind him now crouched low on the floor crept up slowly, not ready to spook his prey. But as he did the smell coming from the desk caught his attention. A strange smell, it was pleasing, it smelled like food.

 

“I understand my lord, I can only whip those poor bastards so hard without breaking their production…” The regent Pilos continued. “I know that my lord, but there’s still quite a lot of problems I’m having in establishing effective lines of supply. Pushing out the goods and the product has been challenging with all of the heightened security.”

 

A brown tail curled around the small bowl and swiped it down from its position and into a very eager mouth. The entire contents being dumped inside as his tongue upon contact knew if it was edible.

The inattentive Pilos just rubbed his forehead, “Yes lord, I will have the deadline met… there’s no need to send your men I promise you…” A visible few beads of sweat showed on his face as the voice on the other end quietly bickered at him.

 

He might of been a wealthy merchant, but, even that wasn’t quite comparable to the other forces at work inside of this city. Most of them criminal, as to get ahead, one had to steal, cheat, and kill to get what they wanted.

 

“Yes… Yes thank you sir.” Pilos set down the phone, releasing a strained sigh. He wiped  his brow with his forearm. “I already have enough trouble keeping them in line and quiet, now I have to increase production further? It’s at times…” 

 

His voice trailed off as he stopped, there was a sound of mild crunching and chewing.

 

He turned and looked toward the sound and let out a mild yelp as his face was suddenly covered by an open mouth that began to cut into his face.

 

Silencing him quickly, the hunter had struck with surprise in full. The man’s frantic fists flailed around in order to get this thing off of him. The pair crashed into a wall as the teeth dug deeper into his face, puncturing his cheeks and driving his lips shut.

  
Pain burned on his face as he tore at the hair of what was attacking him but as he staggered and tripped a brown tail coiled around his throat and with a heavy jerk snapped his neck. The heavy thud of his pudgy body ended the heavy struggle.

 

Popping his mouth free, small knicks and marks on his back skin and bruising around his jaw was visible as he had clamped so tight it had pinched several of his nerves. Slightly out of breath the child hunter set about finishing his meal. The small bowl had tasted really good but it barely qualified as a snack.

 

With rapt interest he tore away the man’s clothes before ripping into his skin with his sharpened fingers, ignoring the obscene hair and going right for the soft tender pork inside. Only survival was on his mind and with each bite he gained just a little bit more of an understanding about this world. The flesh of his kills gave him just fragments of what this world was through their memories.

 

Though he could taste and see them, he was unable to understand what it was these things he was experiencing were. 

 

Like a picture book without any references except his basest of instincts to explain to him like fear, anger, pain, and sadness were there. But the why of these emotions? 

 

This man was afraid of someone but not afraid of others and it confused this young child; this world’s structure did not make anymore sense. Not always were the biggest and strongest the ones in charge, but neither were the masses running everything. 

  
The small mind was unable to make sense of everything, but as he bit deeper into the flesh of his recent kill he began to develop a certain taste.

 

One that was evil and corrupt. 

 

_ (Back to Present) _

 

Krillin had explained the beginning to their inquisitor, the strange circumstances preceding the events and clear lack of connection between the first two cannibal killings. Two were low level piles of trash, the second an obese leach that was sucking all that it could from those below it in order to fill some need of superiority.

 

_ As if… _ Chi-Chi thought knowing just how society functioned - a never ending cycle for those stuck at the bottom. But having not lived it herself she cared little for such a plight, her life was built around protecting them and defending this world from real evil. 

 

“So this is our beginning,” Chi-Chi stated, “A mere child of sorts, or an underdeveloped human with a tiny mouth from these dated photographs.” The images of the first three corpses were taken in a rush and obviously little effort had been placed on getting to the bottom of this hurriedly. Three people eaten, it wasn’t a capital crime at the time. “Is that all from where this started?”

 

“I-I think so, this is as dated as we could get for crimes similar. Others that were mislabeled or not reported we couldn’t say for certain.” Krillin knew there had been an initial log but after six years the case went cold. Whatever upkeep that was supposed to be done had not been. There was never any shortage of violent crime where they worked, and with the disappearance of whatever was causing all of these cannibal acts along with no real suspects or evidence, it was no surprise it became lost in the shuffle.

 

They shelved it and overtime lost it.

 

“What followed after this?” Chi-Chi held up the folder in her hand.

 

The detective’s eyes shifted away, “We didn’t get that far, just this.” He admitted to her, “The second task force lumped in what reports and cases that were made into just mass homicide and ignored the similarities we sort of see now.”

 

Her eyes focused on him, “Explain.”

  
His throat bobbed up and down.

  
“The cases he’s describing.” Tien’s voice cut in saving Krillin the attention of Chi-Chi. Remaining stoic even in her powerful stare. “There was very little physical evidence, I would dare to say our killer began to refine its killing habits after this. Originally all of them were mostly barbaric, targeting whoever and whatever seemed to cross their path.” Handing Chi-Chi a paper that was documented back to when the cannibal killer had resumed his duties after taking such a long hiatus. “While originally we couldn’t see any real link, now they’ve stepped up considerably taking massive hits in anyone whose associated with some sort of criminal element mostly… though this is not always the case.”

 

She was now sitting back in her chair, arms crossed under her chest, one leg sitting overtop the other. Chi-Chi was finally gaining some decent information, though nothing about their culprit but a motive was a definite necessity.

 

Understanding how the mind worked was going to be her goal, she needed the why first before she could begin breaking down the who, what, or when. Though she had an inkling about this possibility as every single person at the last scene was in some measurable level a criminal. She needed a justification, if this person had felt wronged by those and was out and about cleaning up the trash, perfect. It only left her trying to figure out where the next attack would come as it would now fall to a matter of days before the next incident.

 

_ So what was once just random acts of savagery has evolved into a more heated act of vengeance, or perhaps justice? I could see the merits of a man acting out of spite in a wronged system, but the method is entirely incorrect. The eating of their flesh, perhaps it’s more of a chaotic offering or just his calling card for being a murderer of murderers.  _ The rationale still eluded her, there were other thoughts swarming through her head as she spent her time trying to think as the why of this person’s actions.

 

_ But wait…  _ Her one hand curled up under her chin as she thought about her last line of thoughts.  _ If it were some type of cult or chaotic purpose why were those deaths so public, with no message, no brand, just an exorbitant amount of carnage against criminals.  _

 

Chi-Chi was lost in her own thoughts, as from what she had seen… “Has there been any sort of reaction to these crimes?” Not shifting her eyes as she maintained her focused posture, doing everything to keep her mind on one thing. “Specifically from those in this area, rumors, cries of violence. Anything that would be as a result of all of the deaths?”

 

“In the drinking taverns, personal contacts, and other noterities I’m in touch with there has been a lot of bounties put out on stopping them. But after some big shots came to town a few weeks ago only to be splattered throughout an alleyway like decorations, there really hasn’t been much talk of someone stepping in as others just trying to get out. The low level guys in these organizations can’t get out, they can’t afford to sit around and hope they can flee so they remain and are being killed off in radical numbers, although most of them are so busy worrying about themselves they haven’t had the chance to do what they are actually paid to do.”

 

Chi-Chi smirked on the inside, “Not enough time to commit actual crimes when they are far too worried about dealing with our killer. I suppose it was inevitable, but don’t expect any ringing endorsements from me. They are still a barbaric creature as I’m no doubt sure there are plenty of innocent people who are dying off as well.”

 

“Yes and no inquisitor.” Tien jumped back in, “There hasn’t been any innocent people being killed, young children and those who are blind or deaf haven’t been killed by him. But anyone who has ever committed any type of crime has been killed off, it wasn’t until about three years ago that we started getting more gruesome deaths than just straight up murders…”

 

Her lips pressed together flat, “So more of a demonstration of power? Or some example that they are making of their victims.”  _ Nothing worse than a person who wishes to show off just how amazing they are with acts of power over the weak and helpless.  _ “Examples.”

 

All three detectives did a quick look to each other, “Well we can’t be a hundred percent sure that these are related but whenever someone committed any, and I do mean any type of crime they were met with a swift death. A lady stealing food to feed her family was just flung off a roof in front of her own children. Another man killed another man who murdered his wife; our suspect took a large rock and crushed our avenging husband’s skull in.”

 

“So if it is a crime it deserves to be punished… I see.” Chi-Chi mumbled.

 

_ (Three Years Ago) _

 

He saw them all down below, some scurried about helpless as they struggled to exist in this world. A world that he himself found almost loathing. The sad thing was, “They’re almost all criminals, stealing, attacking, lying, and doing whatever they can to get ahead of someone no matter who gets in their way.”

 

Selfishness, greedy, and violent the lot of them. It was why he had started his campaign, in an effort to stop these people and to bring about the change that he had been shown. 

 

If people needed to start behaving and acting good then he would have to show them that there would be consequences for their actions. His mind had developed far from his primitive days of hunting, killing, and eating in his habitat had transformed him into not wanting to control or dominate these creatures but to  **teach** them. They needed to know that if they wanted to commit evil that they would be met with evil.

 

He currently was hunting his next prey, a lying cheat. An elderly man of almost seventy was being followed by his coal black eyes. Having given the man the chance to undo his crimes it was time for him to be punished…

 

Dropping downwards his legs caught the wall and allowed him to run. His sheer size was not a limiting factor in his speed, tucking forwards. The padded thuds of his leather wrapped feet allowed him to gain upon his target with minimal time to think.

 

The man barely had a chance to react as the hulking man appeared from nowhere grabbed him by the leg and in a fluid jump leapt up the scaffolding of a building and with one arm jumped upwards and threw himself to the peak of the building.

 

The man’s cries were like a loud breeze as even those who might’ve noticed what had happened did not look around to see what had befallen the man as to not incur the wrath of their killer. Gaining a famed reputation for being a terror of the dark had made any who dared speak out against him live in fear of constantly looking out over their shoulder.

 

“Please! I beg you mercy!” He sobbed clasping his hands together in a token gesture to the man now holding him upside down and over the ledge of a building. 

 

_ Why does he beg, what mercy should their be for a criminal, does he not know that for every crime there will be punishment?  _ It rolled through his mind for several moments as he held the man at an arm's length away from him by the ankle. 

  
Already able to see the redness in the man’s face as the blood rushed to his head. “Please Night Haunter! Please I beg you let me go- OOOOO!”

 

And so he did, without wasting another minute of his time, he let go of the man’s leg and sent him plummeting. Several seconds later the heavy wet smack of his body impacted upon the concrete leaving only a small shrine of gore.

 

Those nearby tucked and ran away. The message was clear as only those stricken by a loss in their senses looked upwards and saw the  _ monster.  _

 

**Night Haunter**

 

As the dusk rolled in, a phantom of fiery vengeance descended upon this city righting wrongs and punishing criminals. No matter how big or small all with the promise of death and for several years he had been doing this and many people lived in fear of being caught by him, as the agonized screams of some of his victims were a permanent memory that lived within the hearts of so many citizens.

 

He was almost twice as thick as any man and much taller with a head of black spikes that looked like jagged daggers that followed his victims in the low light. There was nothing more terrifying than a literal monster, hunting and killing anything that did wrong, no matter the scale or the cost.

 

But the experience with that elderly man, that moment of pause.

 

“They do not fear death as much as they fear me.” That was almost startling for him, to have the concept that death was not as terrifying as all creatures feared death. So why would death not be the most harrowing punishment?

 

Perhaps he needed to rethink his methods. If people were still going to commit crimes even though they knew they were going to die... He would need to make the idea of his presence and carrying out justice more terrifying than death itself!

 

If he was going to stop people from stealing, hurting, killing and living without care for one another he would have to take up a task and become far more brutal.

 

So he took his killings and extended them over the courses of days and weeks. Finding a criminal and lopping off a hand, an arm, foot, or carving a chunk of their flesh from their bodies.

 

Watching them scream and flail as he allowed them to run away, their frantic actions only adding to the terror as they seemed to have ‘escaped’ but of course that wasn’t true. Tracking them down he returned again and drove them to the places where they might seek refuge or a false sense of safety or security.

 

Most criminals would return to their fellow underhive brethren, locking arms and congratulations of escaping the Night Haunter, that mayhap there would be a chance for them to survive. Afterall he was surrounded by dozens of his allies, fellow men and women who would rely upon each other to maintain their status quo. Strength in numbers to feed upon the weak and the poor who were in turn forced into a life of crime as a result of their actions.

 

A more incredible tactic then was revealed to this hunter and dispenser of justice.

  
Breaking into a facility, a safe house and protective palace that would shelter the local crime lord or kingpin…

 

Panicked screams! Rapid gun fire and thick choking black smoke filled the air as he tore a bloody path through those in front of him. His massive frame bashing a man with cinderblock sized fists and sending him into an iron pole where his body would snap and almost wrap around the metal frame. Grabbing a woman who came to stab him in the back with a butcher knife, grasping her wrist only to drive the weapon back down and embed it several inches into her chest before moving on. 

  
Offering not a grunt or even sliver of emotion that projected satisfaction with what he was doing, he dodged gunfire at inhuman speeds. He closed on a man spraying ammunition with a horrifying scream as he was silenced by hand ripping out this throat.

 

It was casual or playful depending on how you took it. But he had a reason, and a purpose, marching down a hallway the electricity sparking wildly as he had grabbed the electrical box outside and fried the entire system with his bare hands, small scorch marks visible on his palms. The flickering lights and sparks showing as he moved down a hallway seemingly so far away but only to close before a person had scarcely blinked. 

 

Two men burst from opposite sides of the hunter, both already firing wildly as they attempted to catch him in the crossfire. However, this beast was not so easily caught off guard.

 

He had moved to the side, his ears picking up on the sounds of minute movements from beyond the walls. Deciphering the sounds all around him, able to sense the sound of rats scurrying through the walls, the hum of the electricity flowing throughout the building, the shifting sounds of dust and dirt beneath his feet and the sounds of human breathing. How they clutched their weapons and the rush of wind beneath the frames of a door only unveiled their actions before even they had committed to bursting through the door.

 

Pulling to the side, the two men sprayed themselves down leaving large holes in the wall and in each other as they attempted to kill him. They failed, with only the pain of their own foolishness written on their faces as they gurgled blood forming in their lungs.

 

Stepping forwards his foot crushed the ribs of one of his would be attackers he continued onwards.

 

He came to a heavily armored bulkhead door, like one would find on a ship designed to seal tightly and to prevent those on one side from getting in.

 

A woman had locked the hatch as soon as she saw the Night Haunter approaching, clicking it tightly as she locked the wheel that would leave an air tight steel of three solid inches of steel. Not more than a foot from the bulkhead door, she waited for him to start breaking in and would then call out to those getting set up behind her that they were still being pursued.

 

However, as one man set up a heavy machine gun on a perch overlooking the door intent on riddling the area with heavy weapons they heard the door get breached and the bone crunching squish of guts as the woman on the other side of the door was ripped through a fist sized hole punched into the door in less than a second. The rest of the door was broken through as if it were dry wall and not solid steel.

 

Ripping backwards on the charging handle one man fired the thick .50 caliber rounds towards the advancing monster.

 

The local kingpin was cowering in fear behind a wall of bullet proof glass watching as the last of his men fired from one of the biggest pieces of hardware they had. His suit ravaged with blood, sweat, and piss as he had ran throughout the complex attempting to - in vain - elude the Night Haunter. He could only watch in horror as the steel door deflected the heavy rounds one after another until the barrel of the heavy machine gun turned red. The man operating it had clicked the final round before reaching for another box of ammunition only to be cut in half by the now severely dented steel door that embedded parts of him into the wall along with four feet of the once daunting barrier.

 

Driven to the point of absolute horror, this crime leader collapsed onto the floor his eyes burning red with tears brought on by his own fear as the beast that had followed him had slaughtered over three dozen of his closest subordinates without even taking a scratch. Then that same monster was now looking at him with those coal black eyes, his tall frame and massive bulk given a shallow glow of a single light in the room he was now currently soaking the floor in with his own shit and piss.

 

Pressing one hand against the glass to deliver the barest of efforts, shattering it into hundreds of pieces. 

 

Covering himself as he screamed the man waited for the moment to feel the Night Haunter grasp him and rip him to pieces as he had done so many others… His mouth mumbling some prayer, his eyes squeezed shut so tightly it was forming wrinkles across his entire face. The hammering of his heart deafening everything outside of his own head...

 

There was nothing.

 

He dared take a moment to blink, then with his entire body shaking from head to toe, turned and looked only… nothing was there. Panic that was written across his face as brightly as the sun merged with confusion. His head swiveled all around, looking for a glimmer of the beast, that perhaps he was being toyed with.

 

Yet as sweat ran down his face there was nothing. Trembling, he got to this feet ignoring the soft squish of his clothing as he did not realize what he had done to himself with the adrenaline pumping in his veins.

 

For almost five minutes nothing but the cold silence, walking outwards from his once secured room he looked around. Still nothing.

 

He rubbed his face with one hand, assuring himself that this wasn’t some type of dream or hallucination.

 

“Wh-Why?” He said aloud nearly collapsing back to the floor, he had been  _ spared?  _ The Night Haunter had come, murdered nearly everyone here and then just let him be when he was just within an arm's reach of him.

  
Still acting under emotion he quickly fled again, running outside to the nearest working automobile that was driving past.

  
“Here’s a thousand dollars, take me here as fast as you can!” He told one driver as he flagged him down.

 

Not in the position to argue with such a facefull of cash, the man driving home from work  _ gladly  _ took the man to the address.

 

But he hadn’t escaped.

 

Standing up several stories and shrouded from the direct light was the beast of the shadows and the terror that gripped this city in his massive palms. “Yes… run little fool, run.”

 

So as became his new tactic he would then break into the location on the following night and murder every single one of the men who had given him shelter until there were no more friends or even his own family to save him.

 

Driving the beleaguered kingpin to the point of heart attack as he pitifully sobbed weeks later begging for death and to not have to suffer the degradation and constant terror of the Night Haunter. Only when the man was pleading to be killed than live with this fear did the cold grasp of his hand come for him.

  
Then he would be granted death over the course of weeks further, the body parts and limbs cut up and dropped at the houses of his closest family members as a reminder of what would transpire should you dare get such a foolish idea and oppose the creature of the night’s will.

 

Since then he had just focused on building up that terror until no one would grant his target safety, where you found yourself alone and broken knowing that all of this would never end no matter what you did. 

 

Deciding that ruling through fear would be the only suitable option for him, while it had deterred those below the likes of the weak lesser criminals it had not had any real effect on those who were far higher up,  _ yet. _

 

_ (Back to the Present) _

 

Chi-Chi looked back at the reports, the information that had been outlined to her. Her mind pictured slowly the way this heathen was working. “In regards to your latest killings do you have a database as to whom all of them were linked to?”

 

Tien scratched his arm, removing his tie and draping it over the back of his chair. “There is a log that we’ve compiled but these are criminal elements that stretch into the hundreds if not thousands. Even if we could narrow down potential links there are still dozens of potential links to each one in some shape or form.”

 

“Give them to me,” Her tone ordering to which the detectives passed the thick envelope list to their inquisitor who could feel the hefty weight of nearly fifty pages of printed paper in her hands. “I will leave you for a moment and return once I have found out who the next target will be.”

 

“Well… good luck.” Yamcha said to which she glared at him.

  
“I do not need something as trivial as luck, I have been trained to see through these simple documents and grasp the truly bigger picture. I will have an answer for you, be it tonight or tomorrow.” Tucking the package of papers under her arm she then directed one finger to at each one of them. “I expect you and a small task force of other field officers ready to go on my command. I want to verify that my theory is correct and then take the next step.”

 

“The next step, Inquisitor?” Krillin asked curiously.

 

“Catching whatever is causing all this, man or beast I will bring them back in chains or their head in my hands.” She stated her voice not wavering in the slightest as she strode out from the room and back to her personal office.

 

[***]

 

Beyond her walls however, the beast in question stirred, living in an abandoned warehouse that he had turned into a tidy hamlet. He was rising up from his long sleep after having spent days tracking and killing the hordes of people.

 

A long yawn as he stretched himself out, as the second he had awoken his senses had told him that he was alone that there would be no one to hear him.

 

He wore nothing but a pair of orange pants that went around his ankles. His mind already processing what he would need to do for the day, “Justice shall be dispatched and I will not falter in my purpose.” He proudly declared as he had done everyday for almost six years.

 

Though before he left the giant of a man looked to a small momento, a neatly carved stone orb bearing four stars inside of it. Bringing his hand into a fist he drew it up to his chest in a proud sign of respect. “Do not worry Grandpa, I will not fail, I will not let your sacrifice be in vain. I will teach this world the true meaning of justice and bring peace to every single person as was your dying wish.”

 

A venerable old man had rescued him when he was only six years old though half his current size an entire building had exploded and caught him in the rubble. Trapping him and even with his immense strength he could not pull free from the hundred tons of steel, concrete, and other items that had once covered his immobile limbs quickly. As a fire had raged around him and even with his particular resilience there was nothing he could do against white hot flames over his bare skin.

 

But he had been seen and saved by a man who did not know him, who taught him how to be a decent person as he recovered from the strain and burns that had littered his body for over five months. Recovering in relative quiet he learned how to speak the common tongue, what was this world he lived in and how it worked.

  
  


A just soul indeed… 

  
“But I will not fail you Gohan, I will make this world see the light so that no one will die like you, and that this world shall be free of  _ ALL  _ criminals and I will be the one to carry it out.” Removing his fist the man turned towards the door and opened it up. “As your honorable Son who you called Goku I shall head out to dispatch justice once more tonight as I feel this city is slowly, ever slowly starting to figure out what true justice is.”


End file.
